Research Festival 2026

Reserved day for Schools and Research Groupings to host local events 

9:30am Registration 

10:00am Welcome address – Professor Robert MacIntosh, Interim Deputy Vice-Chancellor and Pro-Vice-Chancellor (Research and Innovation)

10:15am Keynote speaker  

Professor Roger Maull, Professor of Management Systems, University of Exeter 

11:15am Coffee Break 

11:30am Parallel Sessions

Parallel Session 1- Technology Disruption and Doing Research 

From Curiosity to Research Design, Ethics and Impact 
Talk + Interactive Workshop 

How is technological disruption changing the way you do research – right now? 

Across all disciplines, emerging technologies are reshaping how research questions are formed, how data is generated and analysed, how partnerships are built, and how impact is evidenced. This part talk, part workshop session is designed specifically for researchers who want to reflect on what technology disruption means for their own research practice. 

The session will open with short research‑focused provocations, exploring how curiosity‑driven enquiry leads to disruptive technologies – and how those technologies, in turn, disrupt research design, methods, ethics and governance. Examples may span AI, data‑intensive methods, digital health, automation, creative technologies and policy‑driven innovation.

Parallel Session 2- How does research assessment shape what researchers choose to focus on? 

There is growing recognition across the UK higher education sector of the impact that research assessments - like the Research Excellence Framework, academic recruitment and promotions, and funding peer review panels - can have on the research that we do. Join us to hear about ongoing work across the sector and at UWS aimed at enabling creative, collaborative, open and inclusive research cultures through responsible research assessment practices. With plenty of opportunity for discussion, this session will provide space to explore how research assessments can influence research practices and research careers, and how curiosity in research can be supported in practice.

Parallel Session 3:  The Conversation: from research to informed headlines 

Meet the editor and find out more about the benefits of working with The Conversation, a global independent source of news and views, sourced from the academic and research community and delivered direct to the public. Listen to what makes a good research news story, pitch your research ideas directly to the editor, and hear about the success stories of working with The Conversation from fellow colleagues, who have experienced the value of the platform far beyond media coverage. 

12.30pm Lunch & Curiosity in Action Showcase  

Exploring how UWS research creates new knowledge and delivers meaningful impact. 

1:45pm From Curiosity to Culture: Shaping Our Living Research Culture Action Plan 

This final session of the day brings the Festival to a close by turning collective insight into future direction. Introducing UWS’s living Research Culture Action Plan, the session will invite reflection on Festival themes and begin a shared conversation about how UWS might continue to organise, connect and enable research in ways that support excellence, collaboration and impact. The format will be participative and adaptive, reflecting an evolving and responsive research environment. 

3.15pm Close – Professor Robert MacIntosh, Interim Deputy Vice-Chancellor and Pro-Vice-Chancellor (Research and Innovation)

Reserved day for Schools and Research Groupings to host local events. 

P Block 

10:15am Registration 

10:30am PGR connections coffee 

(10-11am) Poster Showcase – invited Peer Reviewers only 

11:00am Introduction to the day 

11:10am Welcome – Professor Robert MacIntosh, Interim Deputy Vice-Chancellor and Pro-Vice-Chancellor (Research and Innovation)

11:30am Curiosity in Action: panel 

12:00pm Reflections from Poster Showcase (L Block and Library)

12:25pm Parallel Workshops 

1:15pm Lunch & Research Exhibition  

2:30pm 3MT 

3:30pm Prize Giving 

3:45pm Close 

The Artificial Intelligence, Virtual Communications and Network Research (AVCN) Institute conference will take place on Friday June 5, 9am to 5pm. 

It will be a chance for colleagues (academic and non-academic) across the University to engage with the research work undertaken within the AVCN Institute and discuss collaborations and funding applications. 

Registrations to attend the AVCN Institute Conference 2026 are now open and will close on May 15, you can register here.